Project Overview 

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia (Roberts Bank, Burrard Inlet) Projects: Roberts Bank Terminal 2, Burrard Inlet dredging Proponent: Port of Vancouver, federal government Status: Roberts Bank undergoing assessment, dredging on Building Canada Act provisional list 

Project Description 

Roberts Bank Terminal 2: Major container terminal expansion south of Vancouver in Fraser River estuary Burrard Inlet Dredging: Deepening to accommodate fully loaded oil tankers 

Investment Value 

Roberts Bank T2: $2-3 billion CAD estimated Burrard Inlet Dredging: $500 million - $1 billion CAD 

Indigenous Partnerships 

Marine Territorial Rights: Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations assert territorial waters claims 

Roberts Bank Consultation: 

• Multiple Fraser Valley First Nations with fisheries rights 

• Environmental assessment examining salmon, migratory birds, marine ecosystems 

• Fisheries impacts critical to Indigenous consultation 

Burrard Inlet Context: 

• Tsleil-Waututh Nation opposed Trans Mountain expansion partly due to tanker traffic 

• 2018 Federal Court of Appeal found consultation insufficient (Trans Mountain precedent) 

• Increased tanker traffic threatens marine ecosystems, cultural practices 

• Legal challenge history on vessel traffic increases 

Key Risks 

Roberts Bank: Moderate to High Risk 

• Multi-nation consultation complexity 

• Fraser River estuary environmental sensitivities 

• Fisheries impact concerns 

• Extended environmental assessment 

Burrard Inlet: Extreme Risk 

• Tsleil-Waututh Nation opposition to oil tanker increases 

• Trans Mountain legal precedent (insufficient consultation finding) 

• Dependency on Northwest Coast Oil Pipeline proceeding 

• Marine ecosystem impacts 

Investment Assessment 

Roberts Bank: Viable with Indigenous consultation success; container traffic less contentious than oil tankers Burrard Inlet: Extreme execution risk; Indigenous opposition to oil tanker traffic creates material legal challenge probability